Combined fixture support and canopy.



'No. 796,853. PATENTED AUG. 8, 1905. W. H. NICHOLS.

COMBINED FIXTURE SUPPORT AND CANOPY.

APPLICATION IILED JAN.9.1904.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. NICHOLS, OF BENNINGTON, VERMONT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOELMER ELLSWORTH LARRABEE, OF BENNING- TON, VERMONT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1905.

Application filed January 9, 1904. Serial No. 188,357-

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. NIoHoLs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bennington, in the county of Bennington and State ofVermont, have invented new and useful Improvements in a Combined FixtureSupport and Canopy, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to acombined fixture support and canopy forhanging electric, gas, and combination chandeliers and brackets andother kinds of lighting devices, and has reference particularly to thatclass of fixtures which are fastened to walls, ceilings, partitions, andfloors or other supports. These devices usually consist of a tripod ofmetal with screw openings or holes therethrough for fastening to a wallor other support and a threaded opening to receive the fixture-stem, itbeing necessary to cover the tripod by a fixture-canopy of some kind.This usual manner of arranging fixtures of the class to which thisinvention pertains leaves the ends of the circuitwires projectingthrough the wall or ceiling, &c., and therefore very likely to be cut orinjured by a plasterer or other artisan about the building. Thecircuit-wires also have to be soldered to the fixture-wires after thewalls or ceilings, &c., are finished, which is a hazardous operation, asthe torch or iron used in soldering is very likely to set fire to thewoodwork surrounding the opening left for the circuit-wires, or thefinish adjacent to the fixture will become defaced by smoke.Furthermore, the circuit-wires are very likely to become crossed and ifthe insulation is injured may cause fire or other troubles. Thefixture-wires are also often very badly twisted, more especially whenthe canopy cannot be moved far enough away from the wall, &c., to permitconnection of said wires to the circuit-wires after the fixture issecured in place. This latter disadvantage is serious and causes fusesto blow, which in turn may cause fire to spread to the surroundinginflammable material.

The combined fixture support and canopy, embodying the features of thepresent invention, has been devised and designed to avoid the troublesand disadvantages heretofore noted and especially to minimize the firerisk.

:In new buildings under construction the support and canopy may beplaced to come flush with the finished walls, ceilings, &c., and thecircuit-wires immediately connected thereto,

thus avoiding the wire ends hanging out in the way and making itpractically impossible for such wires to be injured.

The invention embodies a cap which is fastened to the support andcompletely covers the outlet, the said cap being applied either whilefinishing the building or after the build ing is completed, and thewalls, ceilings, &c., are finished. This cap may be of any suitablemetal properly insulated and used either as a canopy for the fixture toconceal the circuitwire ends or may be made of suitable size and shapeto permit the use of the ordinary sliding canopy, furnishing thenecessary support for the fix'ture and connections for the fixturewires.

The improved support and canopy has in connection therewith fiber,porcelain, or other insulating material of any suitable shapecorresponding to the fixture; but the latter is preferably of circularpattern in two parts, one, the base. which is hollow and provided withmeans for connecting the circuit-wires and also having members firmlyattached thereto into which corresponding members in the other part orcap may be drawn, the two parts being preferably secured byscrewthreads, and the assemblage of the two parts through the medium ofthe threads causing engagement of the electrical contacts between thefixture as an entirety and the circuit-wires. The cap. is made toconform to the shape of the base, as set forth, and provided withsuitable means for connecting the fixture-wires. Both parts are soproportioned and designed that they must be screwed together at leastone full thread before the electrical connections can be completedbetween the circuit and fixture wires.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section through theimproved device. Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the cap. Fig. 3 is abottom plan view of the base. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of theconnecting devices carried by the base.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate correspondingparts in the several views.

The numeral 1 designates the base, and 2 the cap, the base havingopenings 3 therein for the circuit-wires and having electricalconnections or metallic strips 4. and 5, to which the circuit-wires areattached, as indicated by dotted linesin Fig. 3. The base also has anumber of openings 6 therein for the reception of fastening devices forsecuring said base to a wall, ceiling, &c. Within the base insulatingmaterial 7 is secured by means of screws or other fastenings 8, and onthis insulating material are applied the electrical connections 4: and5, as well as the electrical contact means or members, which will now beexplained. Secured to the inner end of the connection 4 is a dependingplug 9, which is concentric in relation to an annular contact 10, thelatter contact being in engagement with the connection 5, and the arm 11of the connection it passes diametrically under contact 10 through aslot 12 in the latter, as shown by Fig. 3 in dotted lines. Both contacts9 and 10 are secured to the insulating material 7 by suitable screws,the contact 10 having diametricallyopposed cars 13 for convenience infastening the same. The openings 3 in the base 1 are located on oppositesides of the center of the latter and are sufficiently large to permitthe circuit-wires to be passed therethrough, the terminals of thecircuit-wires being respectively attached to the outer ends of theconnections 4 and 5.

The cap 2 has an insulating material 14: fastened thereto by suitablemeans, and projecting inwardly thereover at diametrically oppositepoints are electrical connections 15 and 16, the connection 15 beingattached at its inner end to a curved contact 17, having a segmentalopening 18 formed therein and also provided with an upper groove or slot19. The contact 17 by reason of the formation of the groove 19 thereinmay be termeda receptive meansfor the contact 10, secured to the base.As clearly shown by Fig. 4, the contact 17 at a point directly oppositethat to which the connection 15 is attached is formed with a slot 20,through which projects the inner end of the connection 16, and to theinner end of said latter connection a curved contact 21 is secureddirectly over and in line with a central opening or inlet 22 in theinsulating material 14:, said opening continuing into a screw-threadedbore 23, formed in a securing-neck 2 1. The contact 21 is disposed inconcentric relation to the contact 17 and also has a segmental opening25 in line with the opening 18 in the contact 19, the openings in thesaid contacts 17 and 21 permitting the fixture-wires 26 and 27 to bepassed through said contacts and attached, respectively, to electricalconnections in the form of oblong plates 28 and 29,.secured on theinsulating material at a suitable distance from the opening 22, the saidplates being in turn attached to wires, as shown by dotted lines in Fig.3, to the outer ends of connections 15 and 16. It will be understoodthat the fixture-wires 26 and 27 extend upwardly through the bore 23 inthe neck 24.

The base and cap are connected by screwthreads 30, as clearly shown byFig. 1, and the contacts are so positioned within the said base and capthat the annular contact 10 and plug 9 will respectively engage thecontact 17 and contact 21, when the said base and cap are assembled, andat the same time the wire ends will be fully inclosed and protected. Theupper end of the contact 17 is beveled inwardly, as at 31, in reversedirections toward the groove or slot 18, and the lower free end of theplug 9 at the corners is also beveled, as at 32. The purpose of thesebeveled constructions is to facilitate the entrance of the annularcontact 10 and the plug 9, respectively, into the groove or slot 19 andthe contact 21 without any tendency toward obstruction, and also to makea more perfect electrical connection. The plates 28 and 29 constitutefuseplates; but it will be understood that the wires 26 and 27 may beattached directly to the outer ends of the connections 15 and 16.

The improved combined fixture support and canopy, as shown, is wired foruse in a single circuit.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1.In a device of the class set forth, the 00111- bination of a base, acontact-plug on said base, an annular contact surrounding said plug andbeing formed with a slot, an electrical connection passing through saidslot and leading to said plug, an electrical connection leading to saidannular contact, a cap detachably connected with the base and having anopening therein, a large annular contact on said cap, having two slotsand a segmental opening therein, one of the slots being adapted toreceive the annular contact and base, a small annular contact on thecap, having a segmental opening and being adapted to receive the plug onthe base, an electrical connection passing through one of the slots inthe large annular contact and leading to the small annular contact, andan electrical connection leading to the large annular contact.

2. The combination of a base, having openings therein, a contact-plug onsaid base, an annular contact surrounding said plug and being formedwith a slot, an electrical connection passing through one of theopenings in the base and through said slot and leading to said plug, anelectrical connection leading through another opening in said base tosaid annular contact, a cap detachably connected with the base andhaving an opening therein, a large annular contact on said cap havingtwo slots and a segmental opening therein, one of the slots beingadapted to receive the annular contact on the base, a small annularcontact surrounding the opening in the cap in said last-mentionedconnection attached to and having a segmental opening therein, said saidcap.

small annular contact being adapted to receive In testimony whereof Iaflix my signature in the plug on the base, an electrical connectionpresence of two Witnesses.

passing through one of the slots in the large WILLIAM H. NICHOLS.annular contact and leading to the small an- Witnesses: nular contact,an electrical connection leading W; M. AIKEN,

to the large annular contact, and fuse-plates H. W. SMALL.

